The article “Role of Management in Improving Workplace Safety and Health” (Admin, 2011) points out the importance of keeping the workplace safety and explains the role of Human Resources managers in workplace safety and health maintenance. The Human Resources managers should be more proactive regarding workplace health and safety (Admin, 2011). Although the employers' responsibilities regarding workplace safety and health are both ethically and legally undeniable, “Role of Management in Improving Workplace Safety and Health” makes a critical error by placing those responsibilities entirely on the HR Department. Furthermore, it is not possible to be more proactive because the HR department is not specialized in workplace safety and needs to fulfill other functions within the company. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a government agency that defines and regulates employer responsibility in creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for employees. Instead of inspecting, evaluating, and developing solutions by themselves, HR managers are responsible only for following OSHA rules and regulations and keep up with current trends proposed by OSHA.
Training Program Development
The article “Role of Management in Improving Workplace Safety and Health” claims HR managers should develop proper training programs to prevent injuries at work and defines the purpose of safety training programs as methods of improving the employees' performance abilities when it comes to preserving themselves from work-related risks (Admin, 2011). The systematical method of developing training programs is through identifying needs after inspections, accident reports, and discussions with the safety committee, followed by planning, implementation, and improvement evaluation (Admin, 2011). Although these are standard protocols in developing training programs, the article does not mention the people or institutions responsible for actual program development. The initial blame for low proactivity on the HR department and its impact on worker safety and health remains unmentioned from the introduction of the article, so it is only natural to assume that the HR department is responsible for carrying out training program development after reading that section.
The HR department cannot develop training programs because OSHA and similar agencies specializing in workplace safety are responsible for developing trainings. Furthermore, the HR department cannot even perform the actual trainings because their employees are not authorized to train employees in workplace safety. The HR department is responsible only for providing training for the company's employees, so they can perform work in a safe manner in compliance with OSHA requirements (Michaels, 2010), and they cannot possibly be involved in safety training or safety training program development.
Strategies must touch upon all aspects of a complex work environment. According to Roux and Halstead (2009), some characteristics of an effective client safety culture consists of acknowledging human limitations, avoiding oversimplification of near miss or sentinel events, support from management and leadership in non-punitive problem solving approach in investigations, an interdisciplinary approach to collaboration which includes front line staff to enhance communication and reporting of concerns and errors, and training on intended changes prior to its development and implementation (p.
The HR Department has the task of communicating in writing and orally, to conduct training, makes referrals, and provide on personnel program policies and procedures. In addition, personnel prepare reports, claims documents, and training materials.
...op occupational illness prevention programs by having a written plan with specific procedures. This needs to be communicated to all employees and employees will know the hazards that exist to prevent injuries (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). The plan can involve management where they can be in charge of the program, and they can train employees on hoe to follow and report hazards to their immediate supervisor. Evaluate workplace conditions by conducting a survey on equipment, materials, machinery, and daily operations (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). Then evaluate current illness and injuries within the organization. Then develop and action plan and keep reviewing it to see if it is working. Communicate with employees and it is important that they know how the injury and illness plan works. It may be beneficial to designate someone to monitor the programs progress.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was formed as an agency of the federal government that is charged with protecting workers from recognized safety hazards within the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created as a result of passage of the “Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 in response to dangerous working conditions across the nation and as a culmination of decades of reform” (Walter, 2011, para. 5). President Richard Nixon signed the act into law on December 29, 1970 and The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was officially established on April 28, 1971 (Walter, 2011). During the 41 years on the job, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has identified and addressed numerous work hazards, as well as provided solutions to mitigate and/or avoid placing workers in unnecessary danger. OSHA regulates as enforces regulations throughout the country, however the agency does declare that “states can run their own safety and health programs as long as those programs are at least as effective as the federal program” (http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-osha.htm). The states that choose to implement their own version of the occupational safety and health plan are referred to as OSHA states, whereas those who implement no plan are required to follow the federal regulations, as set forth by OSHA. OSHA effects all workers and employers in the United States, as the desired effect of the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act is “to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources” (Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1970). OS...
Ask staff to raise work health and safety matters during regular discussions such as recent incidents, maintenance issues, suggested improvements etc.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration also known as OSHA is a U.S. regulatory agency that is used to implement the safety of employees, patients and the enviro...
Safety is a primary concern in the health care environment, but there are still many preventable errors that occur. In fact, a study from ProPublica in 2013 found that between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year suffer preventable harm in the hospital (Allen, 2013). Safety in the healthcare environment is not only keeping the patient safe, but also the employee. If a nurse does not follow procedure, they could bring harm to themselves, the patient, or both. Although it seems like such a simple topic with a simple solution, there are several components to what safety really entails. Health care professionals must always be cautious to prevent any mishaps to their patients, especially when using machines or lifting objects, as it has a higher
OSHA’s strategies to help employers and employees are things like enforcement, assistance, and cooperation’s. In enforcement OSHA makes sure their regulations are followed. In Assistance OSHA offers outreach and training to employees and employers. In cooperation OSHA has Partnerships and alliances with voluntary programs.
Health and Safety at work sets out the general duties owed by employers to their employees. Employers must protect health and safety at work for all their employees and other on their premises which includes self-employed, clients, visitors etc. Employers have a duty to take reasonable care of safety of their employees. They make sure that employees are not get injured at work.
should do in an even of an emergency, such as a fire, bomb scare etc.
When it comes to safety most people think they are safe, and they have a true understanding on how to work safe. Human nature prevents us from harming ourselves. Our instincts help protect us from harm. Yet everyday there are injuries and deaths across the world due to being unsafe. What causes people to work unsafe is one of the main challenges that face all Safety Managers across the world.
We all have duties under the health and safety at work etc 1974 and we
Canadian health and safety legislation require companies and organizations to make a commitment towards occupational health and safety. Maintaining a safe workplace environment has numerous benefits. A safe work environment can boost employee morale, increase productivity and improve job satisfaction. For companies and organizations these benefits can lead to less turnover and increased employee retention. They can also reduce absenteeism while improving the culture and image of a company or organization. Most importantly, increased safety in the workplace can lead to fewer workplace injuries and causalities. Workplace health and safety issues are different today than there were at various points of time in Canadian history.
It starts from OSH policy and objective of an company/organization. The OSHMS aim can be achieve if employees implementing and practicing what they have learned from the programmes conducted by their management. The OSH programmes like personal protective equipment, first aid, fire preventive plan, incident/accident investigation, hazard identification and many more are playing an important role to achieve the OSHMS’s aim. The management’s commitment towards safety and health like organizing training and education is resulting in raises the employees awareness on work place safety and health and employees’ involvement to success the safety and health programmes. To enhance the OSHMS, preventive and corrective action and continual improvement are playing an important role. So that the company/organization is keep moving forward successfully in achieving occupational safety and health management system’s
Zanko, M & Dawson, P 2012, ‘Occupational health and safety management in organizations: A review’, International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 14, no. 3, p 328-344, viewed 2 April 2014, http://ro.uow.edu.au/commpapers/2832/.